Point Richmond fairy houses

Washington Avenue in Point Richmond is an uphill road with a view to the Golden Gate. At a first glance, it seems to contain only big houses, but when looking closer, almost everywhere there is a tiny magical neighbour—a fairy house! Those little magical inhabitants not only bring happiness to the locals, but also attract visitors to the neighborhood.

When you are fairy house hunting, you constantly listen to short stories and advice about where to look next from those who live in the area. “Aren’t they lovely? Make sure you don’t miss the little library down the street. It is really sweet and small!” “You should have seen it on Halloween! They were all decorated.” “They bring us so much joy and excitement. So many kids, grandparents, come by.”

All of the houses are different, reflecting each fairy’s personality. 314 ½ Washington Avenue is where the fairy Rosa lives; she really likes to read, so the house has a little library in front. 410 ⅓ is the home of the artist fairy. Inside the house, visitors can see her paints and brushes. Zulu, the fairy who lives at the 328 ½, loves to bike ride and is a very popular fairy as you can see by her full mailbox.

Some houses are colorful and easy to spot. Others, you need to be careful to not miss them. But If you walk down the street paying close attention to details you can find fairy houses, a little fairy library, the school and even a parking instruction sign saying that parking is only permitted for two hours. Finding spots in the Bay Area is hard even for fairies!

Most fairy houses appear overnight, but the fairy school has a different story. One day, Washington Avenue woke up and it had a “fairy lot” for sale, with little construction trucks. The lot got sold to two schoolboys who left a paper with their names and a few quarters at the lot. After getting the property, they decided that the fairies should have a school and decided to make a version of Washington Elementary School, where they attend classes. One lesson at the fairy school is written on the blackboard: “Fairies = Love.”